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THE FIRST BOOK OF THE<br/>
<span class=large>KINGS</span><br/> COMMONLY CALLED<br/> THE THIRD BOOK OF THE KINGS
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CHAPTER 20
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Ben-hadad of Syria makes war with Israel—The Syrians are twice defeated—Ahab lets Ben-hadad go free, contrary to the will of the Lord.
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&nbsp;&nbsp;1 <span class='smallcaps'>
And</span> Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and <i>there were</i> thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
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And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/2a" mark="a" type="A" title="2 Kgs. 6: 24.">Ben</a>-hadad,
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Thy <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/3a" mark="a" type="A" title="Alma 54: 7 (5-11); 3 Ne. 3: 12.">silver</a> and thy gold <i>is</i> mine; thy wives also and thy children, <i>even</i> the goodliest, <i>are</i> mine.
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And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I <i>am</i> thine, and all that I have.
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And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
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Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, <i>that</i> whatsoever is pleasant in <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/6a" mark="a" type="D" title="Greek, Vulgate, and Syriac: their.">thine</a> eyes, they shall put <i>it</i> in their hand, and take <i>it</i> away.
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Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this <i>man</i> <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/7a" mark="a" type="A" title="2 Kgs. 5: 7 (5-7).">seeketh</a> mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
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And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not <i>unto</i> <i>him,</i> nor consent.
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Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do.  And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
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And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/10a" mark="a" type="A" title="1 Kgs. 19: 2.">gods</a> do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
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And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell <i>him,</i> Let not him that girdeth on <i>his</i> <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/11a" mark="a" type="D" title="OR armor."><i>harness</i></a> <sup>b</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/11b" mark="b" type="B" title="TG Boasting.">boast</a> himself as he that putteth it off.
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And it came to pass, when <i>Ben-hadad</i> heard this message, as he <i>was</i> drinking, he and the kings in the <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/12a" mark="a" type="P" title="HEB booths, shelters.">pavilions</a>, that he said unto his servants, Set <i>yourselves in array.</i>  And they set <i>themselves in array </i>against the city.
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&#182; And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, Hast thou seen all this great multitude?  behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I <i>am</i> the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>.
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And Ahab said, By whom?  And he said, Thus saith the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, <i>Even</i> by the <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/14a" mark="a" type="A" title="Alma 56: 46 (43-49).">young</a> men of the princes of the <sup>b</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/14b" mark="b" type="A" title="Eccl. 2: 8.">provinces</a>.  Then he said, Who shall order the battle?  And he answered, Thou.
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Then he <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/15a" mark="a" type="D" title="OR mustered.">numbered</a> the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, <i>even</i> all the children of Israel, <i>being</i> seven thousand.
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And they went out at noon.  But Ben-hadad <i>was</i> drinking himself drunk in the <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/16a" mark="a" type="P" title="HEB booths, tents.">pavilions</a>, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
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And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
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And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
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So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
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And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.
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And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
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&#182; And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/22a" mark="a" type="D" title="OR thou shouldest do.">thou</a> doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
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And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods <i>are</i> gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
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And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
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And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, <i>and</i> surely we shall be stronger than they.  And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
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And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
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And the children of Israel were numbered, and <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/27a" mark="a" type="P" title="HEB were supplied with food.">were</a> all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
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&#182; And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, Because the Syrians have said, The <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span> <i>is</i> God of the hills, but he <i>is</i> not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I <i>am</i> the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>.
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And they pitched one over against the other seven days.  And <i>so</i> it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
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But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and <i>there</i> a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men <i>that were</i> left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
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&#182; And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel <i>are</i> merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
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So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and <i>put</i> ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live.  And he said, <i>Is</i> he yet alive?  he <i>is</i> my brother.
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Now the men did diligently observe whether <i>any thing would come</i> from him, and did hastily catch <i>it:</i> and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad.  Then he said, Go ye, bring him.  Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
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And <i>Ben-hadad</i> said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/34a" mark="a" type="D" title="IE bazaars, trading centers.">streets</a> for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.  Then <i>said Ahab,</i> I will send thee away with this covenant.  So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
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&#182; And a certain man of the <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/35a" mark="a" type="A" title="2 Kgs. 2: 3 (3, 5, 7, 15).">sons</a> of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, Smite me, I pray thee.  And the man refused to smite him.
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Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.  And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
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Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee.  And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded <i>him.</i>
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So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/38a" mark="a" type="P" title="HEB headband over his eyes (also v. 41).">ashes</a> upon his face.
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And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
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And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.  And the king of Israel said unto him, So <i>shall</i> thy judgment <i>be;</i> thyself hast decided <i>it.</i>
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And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he <i>was</i> of the prophets.
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And he said unto him, Thus saith the <span class='smallcaps'>Lord</span>, Because thou hast let go out of <i>thy</i> hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy <sup>a</sup><a href="1_kgs/20/42a" mark="a" type="A" title="1 Kgs. 22: 37 (34-40); 2 Kgs. 10: 24.">life</a> shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
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And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
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